Survival.hu Project

New Hungarian Language and Culture Learning Package

The new learning material is an excellent tool for those needing practical Hungarian language skills in studying or work or for those interested in Hungary as a tourist destination. The starting point of the material is constructivist conception of learning according to which the processing of learned information is comprehensive and the information is connected to things learned earlier and everyday situations. The student’s own input and the follow-up of his/her own progress are substantially important. Learning is considered as social interaction where the student is an active participant. The learning material especially emphasizes communicative excersises and situational connections. Its aim is to achieve functional beginners’ language skills corresponding A1.3 level of the common European framework of the Council of Europe for Language learning, teaching and evaluation.

Books and recordings (CD) in Finnish
Video (DVD) in English, Finnish, German and Hungarian

EASY HUNGARIAN 1 – Unkaria helposti 1

Textbook
The textbook is primarily for hobby groups, eg. for language courses organized by community schools and local organizations of the Finnish-Hungarian Society. The material suits the needs of individual learners as well. The textbook focuses on acquiring practical language skills. Words and expressions about general everyday situation have been compiled in the book. Also culture and customs have been included. There are abundant illustrations in the book. The answers to questions are given for individual learners. Learners are guided to be able to follow their own progress, at the end of each chapter the mastered material is repeated and progress is evaluated.

Recording
The recording includes the texts, dialogues and pronunciation exercises of the textbook. For better understanding the texts are read at normal speed. There are several readers so that learners can grow accustomed to listening to different speakers and styles from the beginning. Since pronunciation is essential for communication already in the beginning, the significance of pronunciation and listening comprehension exercises is emphasised.

Teachers’ book
A teachers’ book has been compiled to support teachers’ work. The teachers’ book contains a great deal of different extra exercises for each chapter and ideas for separation of students with different backgrounds and progress.

EASY HUNGARIAN 2 – Unkaria helposti 2

Textbook
The textbook is a serial part of textbook Easy Hungarian 1 based on the same principles. This books also concentrates primarily on acquiring practical language skills but the grammar section is more substantial than in the beginners’ book since more progressed learners need to know more about language structure. Each chapter deals with its own subject matter and aims at presenting vocabulary and situations for several travellers to Hungary. An effort has been made to pair up words and expressions to language situations.

Recording
The recording includes the texts and dialogues and some folksongs from the textbook. Texts are read by men, women, children and adults. Texts are longer than in the beginners’ book and can be used for individual listening comprehension exercises.

Teachers’ book
A teachers’ book has been compiled also for Easy Hungarian 2. It includes additional exercises to go with the textbook and is based on the same principle as the teachers’s book of the beginners’ textbook. Exercises focus on activating vocabulary by group work, different conversational exercises and elaboration assignments. There are also longer additional texts to develop reading comprehension and language structure.

POCKET SIZE EASY HUNGARIAN – Unkaria helposti taskukoossa

Vocabulary and phraseology guide have been compiled for practical conversational situations. The guide supports the efficient application of the learned material in practical conversational situations. At the same time the pocket-size book functions as a separate tourist dictionary for travellers to Hungary. For those not familiar with the language previously, clear pronunciation guidelines are included.

Usual everyday situations have been chosen as subjects in a versatile but comprehensive compilation: meals, shopping, renovation, nature, free time. A practical small talk-chapter is also included.

The teaching material package is supported by a six-part video film (DVD) presenting Hungarian lifestyle and culture extensively. The video includes eg. several authentic interviews and some important conversational situations. It emphasizes country information, culture and customs. The video can be used as a separate teaching medium and also as a tool for supporting true-life teaching and connecting language to culture. The video material can be applied for separate listening comprehension exercises on different levels from beginners to the more advanced learners.

Apart from the entirely Hungarian speaking version, the video is available also in Finnish, English and German version which can be applied in beginners’ groups. The DVD is accompanied by a leaflet with all the Hungarian dialogues in Hungarian and in Finnish.

Workbook to the video

To utilize the video fully in language teaching and learning, a workbook has been drafted including exercises for three different levels from all six parts of the video. Exercises take heterogeneous groups of hobby learners and the need for diversified teaching into account. Individual students have also been considered.

–

Project:
The learning and teaching material project Survival.hu has been realized with the support of the European Community in the framework of the Socrates program, Lingua 2. Other parts of the project: pilot course, model for a new kind of language course, seminars for teachers 1-2, network of Hungarian teachers.